The Bulletin

The Canadian Forces, Sunnybrook Hospital, and the University of Toronto Appoint the Major Banting Military Trauma Research Chair

In a ceremony held on July 3 at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Mr. Chris Alexander, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, presented Colonel Homer Tien, a Canadian military trauma surgeon, with the Canadian Forces Major Sir Frederick Banting Term Chair in Military Trauma Research.

"Our government is committed to providing the highest possible care for ill and injured members of the Canadian Forces," said Mr. Alexander. "That commitment extends to supporting our leaders in the medical field. I am very proud that Colonel Tien's continuing work is being recognized, and that the he is being extended this important opportunity as the first Canadian Forces Chair in Military Trauma Research. I look forward to following the progress of his work over the years to come."

Colonel Tien is also the Medical Director of the Tory Regional Trauma Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and an associate scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute. In his role as Medical Director, he leads Canada's largest trauma centre and is an integral member of the Trauma, Emergency and Critical Care program.

As a CF trauma surgeon, Colonel Tien has served in Bosnia with the Stabilization Force, in Kabul with the International Security Assistance Force, and has deployed multiple times to the Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit (MMU) in Kandahar. He was the first CF trauma surgeon to serve at Role 3 MMU in January 2006, and was also the last to serve there in November 2011.

"The Canadian Forces are leaders in military health research and in trauma medicine," said Commodore Hans Jung, former Surgeon General. "Under the leadership of Colonel Tien, the Canadian Forces will have the ability to further combine our efforts with other institutions in order to broaden our research capacity and to ensure better care for our military members and veterans."

In recognition of CF excellence in health research, the family of Major Frederick Banting has strongly supported the use of Major Banting's name for this prestigious chair.